


Dormmates AU idea

by EHC



Series: AU ideas [19]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:28:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29834637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EHC/pseuds/EHC
Summary: Here's an insane idea: what if (and bear with me, this is revolutionary) the dormitory at Blackwell Academy... had more than one student per room? Shocking! Astounding! Unprecedented! Could such a thing really be possible?!
Relationships: Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Courtney Wagner, Rachel Amber/Chloe Price
Series: AU ideas [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1596307
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	Dormmates AU idea

**Author's Note:**

  * For [simpletextadventure](https://archiveofourown.org/users/simpletextadventure/gifts).



> Completely inspired by [MissCourtney](https://misscourtney.tumblr.com/)'s blog, the idea is that the dorms at Blackwell Academy are actually dorms, meaning that they house two students per room instead of one. Seriously, any school with rooms that big would have two to three students in each, easy. While the images on the blog are utterly delightful, and the pairing featured is Max/Courtney, thinking about it for more than ten seconds prompted this.

Seeing misscourtney‘s blog and the images therein inspired me to write out this roommate/dormmate AU idea. Which I then deleted completely by accident.

*sigh*

But, I was able to remember all the finer details (and adjusted a few others) to share it here:

Life Is Strange AU where the only major change is that everyone in the dorms has roommates. This isn't too much of a stretch as the original concept art for Life Is Strange did show Max's dorm with bunkbeds and someone else's belongings already in place. I suspect the idea was dropped for either budgetary reasons or because it'd be too difficult to justify Max's roommate always being away from the room when Max is there, pondering life, her powers, and other stuff.

Simple AU, right? Well, I think way too much to leave it at that. Just not my way. So, let's continue, shall we?

Max Caulfield - the only difference I want to see here is that she kept in contact with Chloe during her time in Seattle. Through letters, texts, e-mails, and calls, she maintained her friendship with Chloe, and became at least friendly acquaintances with, if not actual friends with, Rachel, as well. Through said messages and calls, knows a bit about some of the other students (Victoria, Courtney, Taylor, Dana, Juliet, etc.), faculty, and staff.

Chloe Price - thanks to Max remaining in contact, isn't as confrontational about everything and anything, though she still rocks the punk aesthetic. Has a rocky relationship with Joyce on account of her marrying David. Matters aren't helped when she ran of with Rachel to LA (more on that below). Is now working to get her diploma at nearby Tillamook High School.

Rachel Amber - we're gonna skip most of the Before the Storm drama as it's not necessary for this AU. Instead, we'll have her impetuous nature demonstrated in a different way: convincing Chloe to run off with her to LA to make it big. Unfortunately for the pair, youthful optimism and fierce determination met the harsh reality of a high cost of living, not having a high school diploma, having no contacts, and competing against hundreds of other hopefuls. Dejected and defeated, the pair returned to Arcadia Bay. Thankfully, her previous grades (and her father's good word) were enough to get her re-admitted into Blackwell where she'll finish her senior year and graduate.

Mark Jefferson - isn't a factor in this AU so he's not a villain. Rumors do persist that he does enjoy the company of students after hours, though whether any of this is actually true is anyone's guess.

Nathan Prescott - still on the arrogant side, still a bit spoiled, but thanks to him not getting roped into the same shenanigans as the game, is far less of a fuck-stick. For funsies, let's also put him into Jefferson's photography class as well, to be competition with Max, Victoria, _et al_.

Most everyone else can be left as-is, with only very minor tweaks, if any.

So, let's say for the sake of argument that Max, newcomer and recently accepted into Blackwell, has been allowed to move in several days earlier than the rest of the student body, as a way of getting her adjusted, go through orientation, all that kind of stuff. She busy putting the finishing touches on her photo wall when there's a knock on her open door. She turns and sees a girl, slightly shorter than her, standing outside of her dorm.

It's Courtney, of course. Turns out, she's like Max in that she's recently been accepted into Blackwell. Both are initially wary of one another (Courtney sees Max as a hipster, Max sees her as a prep) but it's not even day one yet. No need to pass judgement. Max offers to help Courtney move in and get set-up on her side of the room, which Courtney accepts, and things just progress from there.

During the orientation period, the two spend a lot of time together, chatting, getting to know one another, and slowly, a friendship forms. Thanks to this, when the dorm opens up for real and everyone else starts moving in, Courtney doesn't migrate towards Victoria and her crowd and instead sticks with Max.

Of course, there's a lot of potential for amusement when it comes to who's bunking with who. Here are some ideas:

Kate Marsh/Rachel Amber - I'm leaning towards Kate also being like Max and Courtney, in that she's new and attended orientation with the other two. She has less in common with Courtney than Max, but is friendly to both. Her conservative worldview is utterly obliterated by Rachel when the latter moves in later. Such an incongruous mix! She's incredibly attractive, obviously gay, and quite flirtatious, but is mindful of others' boundaries, is genuinely friendly, and knows not to push anyone too hard. Rachel also suffers from bouts of depression (her failure to succeed in LA is hitting her harder than she lets on) that Kate and Alice help with. This unconditional kindness starts a friendship between the two, which means that Rachel is there to protect Kate from any potential bullies (Nathan, Victoria).

Victoria Chase/Taylor Christensen - thanks to some finagling, these two have been roommies since their freshman year and see no reason to stop. Both are pretty much what you see in the game.

Dana Ward/Stella Hill - in a dormitory setting, there's always a pair that just seems incongruous. And while Max/Courtney could fit the bill, Dana/Stella can give them a run for their money. One's popular, likes music and dancing, is on the cheerleading squad, dates football players, is hot as hell, and is the focus of many students' sexual fantasies, and the other is Dana. XD All kidding aside, I do like the idea of these two being roommates since they do seem to be polar opposites. Also, while they're not the main pairing of this AU, if they were paired together, it'd definitely be a first!

(Seriously, has anyone shipped Dana and Stella yet?)

Brooke Scott/Alyssa Anderson - cordial enough with one another, I can see these two as simply not getting into each others' business and keeping to themselves for the most part.

Juliet Watson/Steph Gingrich - same as above.

Though because these last two sets of roommates are kind of throwaway, they could me mixed and matched easily enough. A Steph/Brooke combo might lead to the two geeking out over computer tech and/or playing video games constantly. Juliet/Alyssa could result in Juliet asking Alyssa to keep an eye out on any newsworthy happenings around campus (Alyssa is the kind of person who's not really noticed, which is great for spying/reconnaissance).

As Chloe isn't a student at Blackwell, she's not actually roommates with anyone. But I can see her spending the night with Rachel on Fridays. Nothing naughty (unless Kate's away) but just to cuddle and snuggle. Their very positive relationship can also act as an eye-opener to Kate. I can also picture Chloe hanging out in the dorms on the weekends, being friends with or friendly with most of the others, and slightly antagonistic with Victoria and Taylor, though only when warranted.

Anyway, just my ramblings. Feel free to use or ignore as you deem fit.

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to simpletextadventure and misscourtney. Thanks!
> 
> The idea of Rachel and Chloe running away to LA is directly taken from [Bloom](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8539240/chapters/19577263), by [Mogatrat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mogatrat/pseuds/Mogatrat), though I skipped the Frank angle. In fact, I kinda completely forgot about Frank until I wrote this sentence. Oh well, he doesn't matter for this AU anyway.
> 
> There's a distinct lack of progress on all my other works but I'm starting to get back into the writing spirit again, so with a little bit of luck, new chapters will come soon.


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